Rake-cleaner.



W. H. BACKUS.

RAKE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.24.1914.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

WZnesses:

,adav m coumum ILANOGRMH COHWASIHNGTON n. c.

WILLIAM H. secrets, or nnnrnnsoiv, CONNECTICUT.

RAKE-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent. V

Patented oer. as, rare.

Application filed September 24, 1914. Serial No. 863,380.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, VILLIAM H. BACKUS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Danielson, in the county of Windham and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and useful Rake-Cleaner, of which thefol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a rake cleaner adapted to be used forautomatically removing leaves and other accumulations from be tween theteeth of a rake.

.' The principal objects of this invention are to provide a rake cleaneras a separate article of manufacture from the rake so that it can besold on the market independently of any make of rake and can be appliedto substantially all makes of ordinary iron or steel rakes at least;also to provide a construction which is longitudinally adjustable topermit of application to rakes of diiierent lengths; in which the heightof the body of the cleaner when in its lowermost position is readilyadjustable to permit the use of a single article of this character withrakes of difierent lengths of teeth; also to provide an improvedtelescoping arrangement of the parts for securing the longitudinaladjustment; to provide an arrangement in which the parts are looselyengaged with each other so that when in use they will automaticallyyield and adjust themselves tothe varying positions of the cleaner,thereby preventing binding; to provide a device in which the guides forthe teeth can be adjusted readily to a position between any two teethand more especially between the second and third teeth from each end, soas to leave open spaces at the ends of the rake within which the endteeth of the rake are located so as to insure the proper working ofthedevice even if the end teeth get bent, as often happens.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a rake showing a preferredembo'dimentof. this invention thereon; Fig. 2 is a plan of the cleaner; and Fig. 3is a perspective view of one of the two elements of which the preferredform of the cleaner is made up.

As this cleaner is designed to be attached tov rakes of varying makesand sizes, the

rake to which it is shown as applied will not be described in detail,except to say that it is of ordinary construction, having straight teethof the simplest character.

The cleaner is shown as made in two parts which are substantialduplicates of each other. Each one of these parts comprises two parallellongitudinal arms 10, one of them having a projection 11 extendinginwardly so as substantially to meet the other arm. Beyond thisprojection the two arms are spaced apart and at their ends are bentupwardly at an angle to form supporting arms 13 which are integrallyconnected at the top to form a loop for supporting it on the top bar ofthe rake; The ends of the arms 10 are provided with eyes 14, that ofeach arm 10 being adapted to receive one of the arms 10 of the othermember of the device. It is by this connection that a telescopingadjustment is secured when the two parts are connected together by meansof these eyes. i It is preferred to make these parts of wire so thateach one of these members is composed of a single integral piece and thetwo are substantially duplicates of each other, so that they can beturned out in large quantities by means of a single set of bending diesand other tools.

In the use of the device the two parts are put together and adjustedtelescopically until they are of such length that the projections 11.come between the second and third teeth at the two ends of the rake towhich it is to be applied. The object of this is to have the cleanerguided between the second and third teeth instead of being guided inpart or in whole by thefirst tooth. The first or end tooth is likely tobe bent after a'rake is used awhile and if that were depended upon forguiding the cleaner, the

with the projections ll between the first 1 is possible to simply forcethe whole device inwardly over the teeth and it will automatically givewhen the pressure is sufficient and pass anydesired number of teeth.After one endis secured in position in this way the other end is pushedin in the same words, it is universally attachable to all ordinarygarden or lawn rakes and to those of all standard sizes. It will benoticed that on account of the loose engagement of the two'sections theparts readily yield relative to each other and adjust themselves to thevarying positions of the cleaner. This makes it practically impossiblefor it to bind on the rake. I

In the use of the device after it is once adjusted to position on therake it will not need. further adjustment unless the teeth which guideit get broken or bent, and in that case it can be moved along to beguided betweenany othertwo teeth. It is located at a point near thelower ends of the teeth,

' and as leaves and other matter come between Les the teeth under it, itwill work up unless it cleans the teeth at every stroke. In that case.the rake can easily be cleaned simply by lifting it up from the groundsufficiently to allow the leaves and the like to drop. If they do notdrop readily for any reason, they do so by jarring the rake slightly. 1

have illustrated and described Although I only a single embodiment ofthe invention and shown it as applied only to a single form of rake, Iam aware of the fact that many modifications can be made in the articleitself and that it can be applied to many forms of rakes withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Ido not wish, therefore, to be limited to all the details of constructionherein shown and described, but

What Ido claim is 1. As an article of manufacture, a rake cleaneradapted to be attached to a rake and provided with means for changingits vertical distance from the back bar of the rake -to accommodateteeth of different lengths, and means for adjusting it longitudinally toaccommodate rakes of different lengths.

'2. As an article of manufacture, a rake cleaner adapted to be attachedto a rake and having means for guiding it up and down between two of theteeth of the rake, and provided with means for adjusting itlongitudinally to accommodate rakes of dif ferent lengths.

3. As an article of manufacture, a longitudinally adjustable rakecleaner freely movable along the teeth of a rake to which it isattached.

ee'In a rake cleaner, the combination of two members having telescopingconnections with each other to permit longitudinal adjustment, saidmembers also having inwardly extending projections for engaging betweentwo of the teeth of a rake to form vertical guides.

5. In a rake cleaner, the combination of two members having telescopingconnections with each other to permit longitudinal adjustment, saidmembers also having means for engaging between two of the teeth of arake to form vertical guides, the ends of said members being bentupwardly to form loops for supporting the cleaner from the back bar of arake.

. 6. In a rake cleaner, the combination of two members havingconnections with each other to permit longitudinal adjustment, saidmembers also having means for engaging between two of the teeth of arake, the ends of said members being bent upwardly to form loops forsupporting the cleaner from the back bar of the rake, said loops beingadapted to be bent to different angles to raise or lower the body of thecleaner.

7. As an article of manufacture, a rake cleaner comprising two wiremembers located substantiallv in a horizontal plane, each having anintegral loop extending to a position substantiallyv to meet the otherside of the member to form a guide for the clelaner in cooperation withthe teeth of a ra re.

8. As an article of manufacture, a rake cleaner comprising two wiremembers located substantially in a horizontal plane, each having a loopsubstantially meeting the other side of the member to form a guide forthe cleaner, the ends of said members being bent upwardly and thendownwardly to form loops for supporting the cleaner from theback bar ofa rake.

9. As an article of manufacture, a rake cleaner comprising two wiremembers located substantially in a horizontal plane, their ends beingbent upwardly and then downwardly to form loops for supporting thecleaner from the back bar of a rake, said loops being variable ininclination to permit vertical adjustment of the body of the cleaner.

10. As an article of manufacture, a rake cleaner comprising a pair ofsupporting end loops formed of wire, the lower ends of said loops beingbent into horizontal position to form the body of the cleaner and beingconnected with each other, the horizontal portions being provided withinwardly extending convex bends to constitute guides, said my hand, inthe presence of two subscribing bends each substantially engaging th;opwitnesses. posite wire, whereby the resiliency o the wire will permitof the wires being sep- WILLIAM BACKUS' 5 arated to allow the guides tobe moved over Witnesses:

a tooth into the next space. V. E. SHAW,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set LoUIs Gr. MASSICOTTE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C.

